I've just started following @AnonNews on twitter and reading up quite a bit about Anonymous.

Not sure what their agenda is but I do know they've perpetrated a number of very high profile DDoS attacks in the last couple of years.

At the very least, I see they're a group that can at least get things done. I don't know if they've actually achieved what they set out to achieve with their work, but I admire their "take no prisoners" attitude when it comes to getting their point across.

I was just wondering what the white hat community in general think of Anonymous.

I saw the We Are Legion documentary, and they seem like freaking idiots. They're going to destroy Scientology by shutting down their website for a few days? Guys, I'm pretty sure Scientology isn't a website; it's a religion. That, or their protests didn't do anything to in any way shape or form "destroy Scientology."

There's a bozo saying about the protests "How long has it been since we had a huge really relevant protest. I'm not talking Tea Party, I wanna bring my guns in public..." Are you serious? The tea party protests were not only way bigger, lasted way longer, but they got involved in the government and actually did something productive instead of shutting down a website.

Then there is that guy who is already I believe awaiting trial for hacking, and is on the FBI's radar and he goes and makes a youtube video saying how he's going to ruin the life of some specific FBI agent, and he has guns so if they knock down his door he's going to assume they're Zeta assassins? For gods sakes man, on what planet is he on where he thinks that's going to work out well for him?

If I'm dumb enough to plan on robbing a bank, while I'm already awaiting trial for robbing a bank, I'm sure as hell am not going to post a youtube video saying I'm going to rob another bank!

They have a problem with Sony, so they not only hurt Sony, but tons of innocent customers. They have a problem with the government lying to the public, yet on their own twitter they lie all the time to the public. Saying they got data on citizens from the FBI, when they really got it by hacking some random company...

I can't even count how many times I face palmed watching that documentary.

I think they help bring the topic of information security in the media where the regular Joe Blow can make some sense out of it. They bring a certain level of awareness toward security. Ask around, most non-IT people know about them.

I personally find them funny. They are a bit like Robin Hood: illegal but they don't cause too much harm to regular people.

Not even worth a conversation in my opinion. Yea the helped out all the IT security profession's. Dos attacks are for script kiddies. There is a few and I mean few that understand hacking. The rest are there just to say they are hackers. Go to school learn TCP/IP and actually know what the tool they are using actually does. Most of the are huge you tube fans. Don't mean to rain on your parade. Anon to me is the itch you cant get to!!

armyrnger2000 wrote:Not even worth a conversation in my opinion. Yea the helped out all the IT security profession's. Dos attacks are for script kiddies. There is a few and I mean few that understand hacking. The rest are there just to say they are hackers. Go to school learn TCP/IP and actually know what the tool they are using actually does. Most of the are huge you tube fans. Don't mean to rain on your parade. Anon to me is the itch you cant get to!!

I would have to agree with armyranger2000, Anonymous has to many segments and groups to be one organization and the idea the "we are everyone" IMO is just stupid, most (not all) of the work is done through script kiddie programs. Although, IT security professionals probably love them because of the stir they are creating in the mainstream